ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that he deliberately avoided making personal remarks against Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, insisting that his criticism has always been directed at governance and public policy rather than individuals.
Speaking on ARY News’ programme The Eleventh Hour, Bilawal responded to Maryam Nawaz’s claim that he had gone “below the belt” in his criticism. He rejected the accusation, saying he had intentionally refrained from mentioning her aircraft or drawing comparisons that could have turned the political debate into a personal issue.
Bilawal maintained that his political approach has consistently centered on policies and governance instead of personalities.
“I have always spoken about politics. I have never practised politics based on personal attacks,” he said.
He added that despite facing repeated personal criticism from political opponents, including members of allied parties, he had chosen not to retaliate in the same manner.
The PPP chairman stressed that ideological and political disagreements should not be mistaken for personal attacks. According to him, questioning government performance is a democratic right and should not be interpreted as targeting individuals.
“If I raise ideological or political differences, that should not be interpreted as a personal attack. A personal attack is when someone targets an individual rather than their politics or governance,” Bilawal said.
He alleged that criticism of governance is often portrayed as a personal attack to silence political opponents. Bilawal claimed that politicians and journalists who point out shortcomings in governance or public policy frequently face accusations of personal attacks, with authorities sometimes responding through legal action or police pressure.
“As a politician representing my party and the people who elected me, I have every right to question governance. If I am not abusing anyone or discussing their private lives, then it cannot be called a personal attack,” he added.
Referring to the controversy surrounding Maryam Nawaz’s aircraft, Bilawal said he had consciously avoided discussing it or comparing its cost with the development budget allocated for South Punjab, even though he had the opportunity to do so.
“I confined my criticism to politics and political issues, and I will continue to do so,” he stated.
Bilawal also accused his political rivals of spreading AI-generated content to misrepresent him. He said the PPP’s official social media team had already warned supporters about fabricated material circulating online and emphasized that his party would not resort to similar tactics.
He concluded by saying that criticism is an essential component of democracy but should never cross into personal attacks.
“Criticism is absolutely necessary, but it should never become personal,” Bilawal said, adding that the phrase “below the belt” had been wrongly used to describe his remarks.
